On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38
On the last day of the feast, Jesus didn’t whisper. He cried out. His invitation was for everyone — regardless of intelligence, race, social class, nationality, or political loyalty. But make no mistake, it was also exclusive. It was only for those who were thirsty enough to know they needed HIM. It still is.
“Thirst” isn’t a thing; it’s the aching absence of something essential. It’s emptiness. It’s desperation. Jesus was boldly declaring, “I am the living water you’ve been searching for.”
To “come and drink” from Jesus means we surrender to Him completely — not half-heartedly, not casually.
It means yielding our whole life so that He becomes our life’s sustainer, not just our emergency rescue. When we surrender our souls for salvation, Jesus gives us eternal life. When we surrender our physical lives day by day, He gives us a life that is abundantly worth living — a life that overflows. When Jesus is on the throne of your heart, His life flows through you into a thirsty, dying world. His river not only fills you; it blesses others through you.
A relationship with Christ was never meant to be a stagnant pond, but rather a rushing river.
My friend, you were created with a desperate need for God. That hunger, that thirst inside you, isn’t a design flaw. It’s a divine alarm system meant to drive you to the true source of life.
Jesus told the woman at the well:
Whoever drinks of this water [from the physical well] will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14
Your body, no matter how well you feed it, will die and return to dust. But your soul and spirit will endure forever. Yet look at how much time and energy we lavish on our bodies — while our soul often starves. When our stomach growls, we rush to feed it. Why are we so slow to feed the deeper hunger of the soul?
Hear again the ancient promise:
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; “For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.” Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3
You were not made to live dry, brittle, and gasping for meaning. You were made to drink deeply—and to overflow.
Lord Jesus, I am thirsty. I confess that too often I run to empty wells that can never satisfy. Teach me to come to You first and to drink deeply from Your living water. Help me to surrender fully, not just for my salvation, but for my daily life. Let Your Spirit overflow through me so that others will taste and see that You are good. I want Your life to fill me — and flood out into a dry and weary world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Reflection Question:
Where are you currently trying to satisfy your soul apart from Jesus — and what would it look like for you to fully come to Him and drink today?
